Reviews and Comments

This book puts us front-and-center in the life and times of prison psychologist Dr. Laura Flemming, who has been tasked with writing a parole report for Justin Jones. Jones is a felon that, on the surface, appears to be a model prisoner and the epitome of someone who has been fully reformed by the system. Laura quickly gets the impression, however, that still waters do in fact run deep and there's a lot more to Jones than initially meets the eye, making her desperate to uncover the secrets that he might be concealing that could still indicate he's a danger to the outside world. This proves increasingly challenging as she begins to appear more and more unhinged herself as she chases those instincts making those around her, as well as this reader, begin to doubt her impressions and competence as things move forward.

I was surprised to learn after reading this that this was, in fact, a debut novel from the author Mercedes Mercier. Surprised in a good way because I have certainly read weaker stories from more established authors in the genre. This was an excellently put together story from someone who obviously has personal insight into the dynamics and culture within a typical prison, and this personal experience shone through to give credence and authenticity to the setting and institution where this took place.

I thoroughly enjoyed the character work in this story. Mercier did an amazing job of creating Flemming, who is a very flawed protagonist in many ways but these flaws are also grounded and realistic based on her backstory. In some thrillers I've read, authors attempt to create flawed protagonists that often manifest in extreme naïveté and critically poor choices that can sometimes be such a stretch that it almost insults the reader's intelligence. By contrast, Laura Flemming is an intelligent woman who has been through some shit yet battles on and is incredibly committed to both her job and her family. I found her commitment and resolve to be inspirational and admirable and the true definition of "strong female lead".

The twists and turns along the way were numerous, and I was always guessing and second-guessing myself as to who was truly involved in the plot. As I mentioned, there are many times when you even start to doubt the narrator herself and when you get towards the end of the book there are numerous viable outcomes for what is to ultimately play out. This kept me thoroughly engaged throughout and indeed the novel quickly enters the "page turner" realm when things begin to unravel.

As an aside on the character work, I want to explicitly point out how Laura Flemming's teenage daughter was written in the novel. She was annoying, frustrating, and challenging to deal with at times and that's PRECISELY what you'd expect from a 14-year-old. In many novels I've read, authors write child characters at times indistinguishably from adults, but Mercier here absolutely nailed the typical teenage attitude! It was great.

This book deals with some pretty serious and dark topics, which are undertones throughout. In particular, domestic abuse (physical and psychological) and drug addiction (painkillers) play prominent roles so readers should steer clear if such material is problematic to them.

Overall this was awesome thriller that would appeal to any fan of the genre. It was a relatively short read but a little slow to start out, with the action and tempo ramping up a lot later in the novel than perhaps it could have. It's well worth it though and a lot of the early slowness does help with the build-up and character building.

I'll certainly be reading more from this author and will be checking out the second book in the Dr. Laura Flemming series: Black Lies.

This is a thriller that's really quite unique as it delves heavily into the topics of chat rooms, social media, online privacy, and the seedy underbelly of the Internet known as the "dark web." It also touches upon issues of stalking and fear that, unfortunately, won't be foreign to too many women who've used the Internet socially at any point in their lives.

Our protagonist, Raegan, has gone out of her way to avoid using the Internet and doesn't even have a smartphone. She has solid reasons for that, but when faced with a failing business and discovering a potential lifeline in online marketing she sees herself as having little choice but to begin her engagement with the online world, despite making a rather grim discovery near her apartment early one morning...

This is a chilling debut thriller from Ashley Kalagian-Blunt that, despite being a fictional story, shines a light onto the very real problem of radicalized individuals and groups that operate deep within the bowels of the Internet which spew vitriol and hatred towards women in particular. The echo chamber "communities" they create of like-minded people reinforce each other and the group's views, leading to some becoming increasingly radicalized to the point of taking real-world action that they see as furthering their agenda.

I think the main component of the book that made this so chilling for me was its connection to reality. This isn't a far-fetched, contrived piece of fiction that loosely uses the Internet and "dark web" as minor reference points in an otherwise formulaic story. No; it was clear that this was a very well-researched story that could conceivably happen, involving believable and true-to-life references to misogynist communities that, unfortunately, really do exist. The level of dread really does ramp up quite rapidly towards the end, and so did my stress levels when contemplating how realistic the situation for the victims could have been. This can only be praised from a reader's perspective, but this is a heavy read for those who struggle to contemplate the level of misogynic that's out there in some places.

This isn't a story I'll soon forget, and really makes you think about deep topics like your engagement with the Internet, the dangers of radicalization, and how one person's influence can in turn radicalize and inspire others. This seems apropos at my time of reading, when the news is filled with individuals such as Andrew Tate and the sphere of influence he, and others like him, have over young men.

The book's start was slightly slow, but once you get past some of the set up and things start to unravel it's well worth it. It has an excellent premise, some good twists, and pertinent social commentary that will make you think.

I will for sure be checking out more of Ashley Kalagian-Blunt's thrillers in future.

This memoir takes you on a journey from the perspective of Megan Phelps-Roper, born and raised in the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) notorious for its fire-and-brimstone style and aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic positions it displayed in full view of the world with its notorious public pickets of soldiers' funerals and celebration of tragedies worldwide. Unfollow is able to give us a unique insight into the history of Westboro, its beliefs and how its foundations were lay, as well as chronicling the slow-and-steady process of how one of its most ardent and dedicated family members born into this belief system and surrounded by it for as long as they had known began to question their doctrine and eventually forged their own path outside of the church.

Before talking about the subject material itself, I just want to express how absolutely amazingly written I found this memoir to be. Megan Phelps-Roper's use of language and the way she articulates her points are a joy to behold, as she waxed poetic on what was no doubt a very emotionally challenging subject for her. She is an erudite wordsmith and her prose and thoughts were a joy to read.

The story told by her is profoundly moving and emotive, but not one I wholly expected. I first became aware of Westboro Baptist Church when I was fairly young. Back then it was pretty easy for me to dismiss the group as just a bunch of hate-filled idiots purely looking to get a rise out of people without thinking too much more of it. It was interesting to learn from this memoir the actual roots of the organization, which was surprisingly tied to the civil rights movement and Fred Phelps work as a lawyer at that time. It was very easy for me to assume stupidity on their part, as we often can tend to do when faced with those who disagree with our own principles, but for most part the family members are extremely well-read and educated, as Megan herself demonstrates.

This memoir was also about love; familial love mostly and the strong bonds and care shown to community members within the church. This was one of the most difficult things to comprehend for me: the juxtaposition between the outward messages of pure hate and antagonism yet the deep sense of caring that Megan describes which her family showed to her when she was living there, and which she showed to fellow family members. It's so difficult to comprehend how one can hate with one hand so much, yet love and cherish so deeply on the other.

This comprehension becomes a little easier when you learn their interpretation of the bible and their religion. That they don't really see what they do as "hatred" at all; if anything they see it as a form of love. They truly do believe that they have the divine authority to rebuke, absolutely and disregarding the feelings of others, as they spread the word of God as supported by the scriptures. The memoir includes direct quotes from the bible which were given to Megan to justify their activities, and which she truly believed herself and was taught couldn't be questioned and had only one way of being interpreted. It was very interesting to have these highlighted to me as a reader to get a real sense of where the WBC's sense of righteousness stemmed from. It also highlighted the very cherry-picked way that these passages were chosen by those at the head of the religion to keep everyone in line and putting them in a position where they felt any questioning of this doctrine would be akin to questioning God; a mortal sin.

Throughout the memoir, it was interesting to see the beginnings of Megan awakening to the possibility that the dogma she'd been indoctrinated with all her life could be wrong, or at least potentially different interpretations were possible. This was one of the most powerful parts of the memoir of all, since it brings to light some of the positive sides of humanity that are very easy to lose sight of in the world. Despite her beliefs, despite her actions and despite how abhorrent her views were at the time, people out there still found it within themselves to respond to the outright hate they were shown with a kind of love and compassion themselves. Again, it would have been very easy to respond to someone like Megan on Twitter with abuse or in kind with the same type of rhetoric she was giving. Many people did. However, it was the few that took it upon themselves to engage with her in a more reasonable tone that actually got through to her and started sewing the seeds in her mind of potential doubt as to the validity of what she was taught. These people were from the very same groups who the WBC was showing hatred towards, including those within the LGBT community and the Jewish communities.

One of the most emotional parts of the book was the day she decided to leave the WBC. Again, as an outsider it would have been so easy for me to only see the happy side of this choice; she was finally free from this hate-filled cult, yay! But as always the full story is a lot more nuanced. Ultimately in walking away she knew that her entire family would cut her out of their lives, as they had done many times before with the other who left before her, and as she herself had done to those people also as required by the WBC doctrine. She was also walking into a world she'd been told had been nothing but evil, which she truly believed. It must have been terrifying to finally step out of the threshold of that door knowing you'd not return but it also highlighted her resolve and her principles, that she was truly incapable of being there due to seeing the cracks in the rhetoric. It was an act of bravery, but also a necessity to be honest with herself and those around her due to her principles.

It would have also been easy to assume she would have felt some degree of animosity towards her family for raising her within this system and been glad they'd be out of her life, but she wasn't how she felt. She felt and still feels love towards them and cherishes the love they showed to her when she was living under their roof. It must be so, so painful to know there's a chance you'll never get to interact with your family again purely due to their belief system; this is one of the hardest things about some religions to comprehend for me. Just because one doesn't share your beliefs doesn't mean you can't love them as a person or family member: Can we walk alongside someone with whom we do not agree? Megan learned the answer to this was "yes" from outside of the church, which is precisely why she still does feel that love for them and desire to help them see the error of their ways. This is a powerful thing, but also heartbreaking knowing the likelihood of them not changing. But her own reformation and reconstitution of her beliefs are her constant driving factor to never give up on anyone, and perhaps this is a noble lesson that we can take too.

The parallels one can draw from her journey and the WBC story and the wider world are a major take-away for me from this memoir. As she states herself:

Ultimately, the same quality that makes Westboro so easy to dismiss - its extremism - is also what helps highlight the destructive nature of viewing the world in black and white, the danger of becoming calcified in a position and impervious to change.

But as I watch the human tribal instinct play out in the era of Donald Trump, the echoes of Westboro are undeniable: the division of the world into Us and Them; the villification of compromise; the knee-jerk expulsion of insiders who violate group orthodoxy; and the demonization of outsiders and the inability to substantively engage with their ideas, because we simply cannot step outside of our own. In this environment, there is a growing insistence that opposing views must be silenced, whether by the powers of government, the self-regulation of social media companies, or the self-censorship of individuals. At the heart of this insistence lie several false assumptions, including a sentiment that Westboro members would readily recognize: We have nothing to learn from these people. This sentiment was troubling to witness even among our tiny fringe movement, and I was relieved to abandon it when I left the church - but watching it spread among a vast and growing populace has been altogether more alarming, filling me with a growing sense of unease.

These positions really made me think deeply about how polarized society can be today, on a wide variety of issues, and how we treat those from the opposite sides of arguments whom we don't agree with. I see this default position of: "We have nothing to learn from these people." all of the time, and can identify instances where I've subconsciously assumed this myself. Megan's story typifies in quintessense the importance of being willing to step out of our own views, no matter how foundational those may be, and at least attempt to learn and understand where others might be coming from, even if we ultimately disagree with their position.

Overall this was a powerful story that provided a lot of material to contemplate on and take away. It would be easy to see this as a simple girl-escapes-cult tale, but it is so much more than that. It is essential reading for anyone who has a desire to meditate on how one holds their fundamental beliefs, and the power of being open to changing one's mind.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for a review. This hasn't affected the review's contents.

This novel takes us to a remote part of Sweden where Bella, our main protagonist, finds herself taking a vacation away from civilization to get away from the stressors in her life, the main one being her son recently departing the nest for university, with several other guests with interesting backgrounds. Things quickly take a turn, however, when she quickly realizes that things aren't quite as idyllic as they first seem on the surface and someone in the lodge may know a little too much about some skeletons in her closet...

This book really held my attention and had me finishing it in only a couple of reading sessions. The way that the story grips you from the start and takes you on Bella's journey, both from her past and in her present, is compelling and I really couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next! This was a real page turner!

I particularly liked the author's ability to imbue unique personalities into all of the characters within the cabin in a relatively short space of literary real estate. The reader is really able to get a feel for all of the characters quite quickly and their unique mannerisms, quirks and outward motivations for being there. The author even nails the somewhat uniquely British "passive-aggressive politeness" vibes from Bella when dealing with certain characters or situations, which is both delightfully nuanced and also quite funny when seeing it play out!

Furthermore, while certainly not a comedy by any stretch, the author manages to intertwine humor, both subtle and overt, into some of her characters well and at appropriate times which allowed me to further enjoy how "real" the setting and characters felt.

I also enjoyed the atmosphere and environment that was described in the book. You really did feel a foreboding sense of something ominous lurking on the peripheries of this isolated retreat and the forest, which added to the tension and suspense at every step.

With that said, there were certainly aspects of the book that I felt could have been improved upon. I felt that the way Bella pined for her son throughout the story to be overbearing at times. It was honestly beginning to get almost uncomfortable. I understand the fears and apprehensions a mother has when their child leaves the nest, but I felt the way in which she was describing these feelings, and the frequency of such, to be bordering on inappropriate. I feel this narrative could have been more subtle. It felt more like she was pining for a lost lover as opposed to her offspring at times by how it was written. Bella's seemingly heavily dependent relationship with her son certainly didn't give off the vibes of a relationship that was healthy. I could understand more if he was younger, but we’re talking about a young man at university. Bella’s narrative about her son quickly entered cringe-worthy territory, for me, the more it went on.

Subtlety, or lack thereof, was a little bit of a common theme within this novel. Throughout the course of her stay at the retreat, several incidents occurred and were written in such a way that it was accessible for the reader to draw their own conclusions regarding what may have happened or who or what might be responsible, heightening the mystery. Unfortunately, where some things could have been left as they were described, the writer felt the need to explicitly spell out, sometimes multiple times, certain elements and clues as to what happened through use of characters’ inner monologues. These clues often could have easily been inferred by the reader and I personally would have rather not had those aspects spoon fed to me; it was almost as though the author didn’t trust her reader to pick up on the clues at times, which were well-written enough that they didn’t really need explicitly highlighting in the manner in which it was done on some occasions.

It’s somewhat ironic then, given Bella’s often highly descriptive internal monologues that we were privy to which confirms she held some of our suspicions as to what was going down, that she maintained a certain degree of naïvety when it came to some other characters, their actions and what they were offering her. It wasn’t the worst example of main character naïvety in a book I’ve read, but there were certainly times when I felt that enough could be inferred by a particular point that it would be hard for me to imagine her putting herself in certain scenarios that largely occurred due to her being overly trusting, even when her own internal voice being used as a vehicle to share clues with the reader would very much be incongruent with doing so.

Having said all of those things, this certainly was not a bad book and I do not want to give the impression that this wasn’t an enjoyable read. It was, and it’s a book I’d certainly recommend. The story had all of the right components of a gripping, page-turning thriller from start to finish; there were just aspects that kept it in the “good” and not “great” category for me. That said, having not read this author prior to this book, I can certainly say it will not be the last time I choose one of her novels to dive in to!

This is such a dark, dark book even for the horror genre. The name, of course, gives that away but it is deeply unsettling and disturbing on all kinds of levels. As a horror aficionado who has built up a kind of tolerance for the macabre, the fact that this book made me feel so unsettled and shook can only be praised!

This book does an excellent job of portraying the forays of a down-on-his-luck author looking to get his life, and career, back on track by writing a new bestselling book. To do this, he settles on horror as his genre of choice and decides to begin some research about a place referred to as "Suicide Town," which is known for its disturbing number of suicides; many seemingly inexplicable. Being the dedicated writer he is, he decides to pay the town a visit to get some real inspiration for his story and that's where things really get spicy!

This book also does a good job of portraying the dark, oppressive atmosphere surrounding the town as well as the behavior and suspicion that an outsider to such a place is likely to face from the locals. The writer really instills moments of dread and fear, particularly during the later scenes and his trip through the woods. I felt every one of those steps, and his imagination in some parts taking over.

The reveal right at the very end was also divine and left the events of what happened very much open to interpretation. Sometimes I get frustrated by a book that doesn't fully reveal everything, but the way it was done here was perfect.

There were a few minor typo/editing issues with the book and the character of Iris I found to be somewhat annoying and a little unnecessary who sometimes took the edge off of the horror elements and made a little bit too light of a situation. There were definitely times when it was hard to believe a character could be talking so jovially or about such trivialities given the weight of the situation, and I felt the book could have done without a "comic relief" character at all but overall these are minor complaints about an otherwise exceptionally told story. It's also a little bit slow at the beginning, but the methodical setup has its charm and the payoff is well worth it.

For any fans of the horror genre, Creepypasta and /r/nosleep this one's definitely for you!

Crooked Kingdom is the second book in the Six of Crows duology, and continues to follow the adventures of the characters we've grown so familiar with from the first book, essentially picking up where the first book left off and giving us the aftermath of the heist. A whole host of unanswered questions remain as to the fate of the crew, and Crooked Kingdom does not disappoint in giving us what we want from a sequel.

My love for this book and the duology as a collective can't be understated. It's so incredibly well written and rich in world building and character depth, which only seems to deepen and unravel with each chapter. The book, although a fairly long read, didn't fail to keep my attention and always kept me eager and excited for my next reading session when I could delve deeper into the world and learn more about the crew's adventure.

It's seriously impressive to me just how well written Kaz and all of the other members of the crew were. The author does an amazing job of pouring such depth into each of her characters. You can tell she really put her heart and soul into the backstories of each one and their identities, and this effort rewards the reader as you savor each interaction between them and are able to understand and appreciate why certain characters are the way they are as a result of their backstories and history.

The plot itself was another strong point of this novel. The author really keeps you on your toes when reading through as the plot twists and turns delightfully, keeping things exciting and unpredictable throughout. Trying to second-guess Kaz Brekker's schemes went about as well for me as it does for most others in Kerch!

Fair warning: this book will certainly make you feel things! Ultimately each of the crew have fairly complex and traumatic pasts that make up who they are, and throughout the story these characters have to wrestle with their own individual traumas and challenges, manifesting for some in physical limitations and pretty much for all in their mental states. There's a lot of heavy and heart-wrenching stuff here as a result of that, and I certainly felt it as a reader. It was also rewarding as a reader to experience some of the characters taking steps to heal from these experiences, or finding other ways to overcome their limitations.

Another part of this whole series that I enjoyed was the diversity of the crew, and how the plot-lines explored bigotry in various ways. Not only bigotry, but in some cases perpetrators of such being able to heal from their indoctrinated views when allowed to make their own discoveries in life outside of their echo chambers and views they once held as sacred. Some of the budding romances here were adorable, and also a major heartstrings-puller as things fully unfolded. Matthias and Nina's arc is certainly very memorable.

I think my only criticism here would actually be the age the characters are portrayed as. I think when reading through this story, I had mentally aged the characters up by 10 years from the stated ages in the book as I found it to be more fitting. Ultimately I feel the author/publishers wanted the characters portrayed as younger to capitalize on the YA marketing hype, but it feels more right from a story perspective if you imagine them to be a little older, in my opinion.

Ultimately if you love epic quests undertaken by groups of flawed, but lovable, rogues, some fantasy elements and a tale of learning to adapt and overcome your fears and shortcomings, or turning those perceived shortcomings into advantages, this is a series you'll love. It's not understated when I saw this is one of my favorite fantasy series. I shall be moving on to watching the Netflix series set in the same universe and featuring some of the same characters from the Six of Crows duology called Shadow and Bone.

"No mourners."

Six of Crows is an epic tale following the journey of 6 bandits looking to pull off the heist of their lives, with plenty of twists, turns, and some unexpected romance along the way!

This was my first foray into the universe created by this author which began with earlier novels. As such, I was a little trepidatious about not being able to fully enjoy Six of Crows due to not being aware of the lore and backstories that came before it. Thankfully, however, I didn't find that to be a barrier at all. This novel more than stands on its own in that regard with no previous knowledge of the universe being required, although I'm sure a more full knowledge of the universe may have made reading Six of Crows even more enjoyable for those who have.

Six of Crows takes us on a gritty adventure to the seedy underbelly of Ketterdam, where we meet a motley, rag-tag bunch of criminals who all find themselves aligned despite coming from very different backgrounds. One of the major strengths of Six of Crows is the depth of these characters, whose backstories are slowly revealed to the reader at appropriate intervals during the story. The interweaving of each characters' personal journeys and history is seamless alongside the main plot; the author strikes a masterful balance of introducing backstory for each character at very timely moments that help the reader understand precisely where characters are coming from and their motivations.

The plot twists and twists-on-top-of-twists are deliciously executed that will have you as a reader guessing and second guessing where the story is going. One thing is for sure though: The cunning of Kaz Brekker is never to be underestimated!

This book will have you feeling all the things and ultimately take you on an excitingly deep journey into this world filled with a lot of moral ambiguity, characters wrestling with their own emotions, struggles with past trauma, and feelings. There'll be joy, triumph, setbacks, and tears with some epic magic along the way too! There's also some awesome female badasses who were very easy for me to root for as well.

This was a top drawer fantasy novel for me, and I'll immediately be reading the second book in this series: Crooked Kingdom.

"No mourners. No funerals."

This is a horror story, but not in your typical setting. This one takes place 300 feet under the ocean as a dive team is sent to explore the wreck of the SS Arcadia that sank in the 1920s. We experience the story in two timelines: one in the days leading up to the ship's sinking, and in the present when the dive team goes to explore the wreckage on the seabed.

I didn't really expect to be learning about the intricacies of deep sea diving from a horror book, but I want to commend the author in doing an excellent job of explaining some of the protocols and challenges when diving (and surfacing) in such a place. I found this insight to be fascinating as someone unfamiliar with the subject and appreciated the author's research into it to add realism.

As someone that generally consumes horror in more typical haunted house style stories, this book stood out to me as unique due to its setting. This is what caused it to catch my eye and make me enthusiastic to read it. I was expecting claustrophobia and suspense that the setting lends itself to and I wasn't disappointed. From Below delivers both in spades.

So, why I do I rate the book a high-three-but-not-quite-four stars? For me, there were a couple of factors that made it a good read but kept it from being great. The strongest of these factors, in my opinion, was the length of the book. Now, I'm not opposed to a long read if I felt the literary real estate was well used, but here some of the present day, middle chapters centering around the dives and exploration of the wreck did drag on a little. I felt there was a lot of repetition and descriptions of navigation within the ship and scenery (and specifically, silt and sediments) which began to go from suspenseful to trite pretty quickly. I feel the book could have used a stronger attention to editing in places; realistically it could probably have been 150 to 200 pages shorter, or that space could have been used to flesh out some of the characters, backstories or explanations, and reasoning for what was going on. With the story essentially being extremely limited to a singular setting due to its premise, it was important it didn't overstay its welcome but in parts I feel it did just that sadly. The increasingly contrived reasons for the crew to end up back in the ship was just too much by the end also.

The other issue I had was the ultimate nature of the antagonists in the present day timeline. I don't want to delve too much into that due to being mindful of spoilers, but it pretty much just stuck to the same trope and nothing more. Not really my favorite sub-genre of horror, but I recognize this is highly personal preference. I was sort of hoping for a twist or unique spin on the concept, but left disappointed. Once the nature of the antagonists were revealed, it shaved off a little of the intrigue, horror, and mystery for me and because that reveal happened fairly early on, it caused the parts that were meant to be scary to get repetitive with limited scope for surprise or evolution in the plot beyond that point barring some creativity to add uniqueness that ultimately, unfortunately, didn't come.

With that said, I particularly enjoyed the past timeline chapters documenting the ship's increasing descent into the state that ultimately led to its sinking. These chapters were very well written and as a reader I got the increasing sense of foreboding doom with every past timeline chapter that came up. I feel the book could have been improved if this timeline was perhaps featured more prominently and fleshed out.

The end was okay, but just that: okay. I feel there was room perhaps for a few more twists and turns, but the conclusion fell a little flat for me. It wasn't terrible, but I was hoping for a little more revelation by the end or perhaps a surprise which ultimately didn't come.

With those things said, this wasn't a bad book by any means and I don't regret reading it. If you're into slower horror stories that linger in claustrophobic scenes that are vividly described and don't mind undead horror elements you'll enjoy this, and have nightmare material to dwell on for a good while! The unique setting was creative and Coates is an excellent and descriptive writer whose writing style I largely enjoy. This isn't the first Darcy Coates horror I've read and certainly won't be my last, but I did prefer her previous work that I read: The Haunting of Ashburn House, which was a more traditional horror setting.

This was my first reading of an Loreth Anne White novel and I’m delighted to say I’ve absolutely found another top tier thriller author to add to my reading list. The characters, the plot, and the twists and turns were all sublimely interwoven to create a truly entertaining page-turner that I couldn’t put down once I’d started getting into it.

One aspect of the novel that I felt was particularly on point was the pertinent social commentary accompanying the plot, highlighting areas that really make you ask yourself a lot of questions about society as a whole. From the faux nature of social media narratives to deeply disturbing inequalities in how certain elements of society are able to escape justice and pay to make certain “inconveniences” disappear with the right amount of money and connections, this book will really make you think and truly is a reflection on reality, unfortunately, in some aspects.

The book goes deeper than this, though, with the multi-narrational elements. You get to see the effects of trauma play out on both sides of the fence of inequality, and while generally critical of the patriarchal society that enables certain ways of thinking and behavior by men, the author also isn’t afraid to show how women, too, can be caught up in the web and act as enablers or attempt to cover things up that are inconvenient for the sake of their own families or reputations, even at the expense of other women’s well-being. A bold narrative that unfortunately reflects accurately on how things sometimes play out outside of the world of fiction.

I found the manner in which the story was told to be excellent as well. We get fragments of the story from multiple characters’ points of view, in a non-sequential manner that leaves you, the reader, to piece everything together. The multi-timeframe narrative where we get some pieces before and some pieces after the incident mixed together adds to that jigsaw puzzle feeling and allows you as a reader to build up the scenes in your head and piece things together. This was enjoyable, as you quickly realize what seems like a relatively straightforward event has layers and layers of complexity that you’re treated to as you slowly unpeel the onion.

The other aspect I felt was strong in this novel was the character work. I wouldn’t particularly say there were any overtly likeable characters involved in this story, but that was entirely understandable in the narrative that played out. Everyone’s a shade of gray to some extent, and that mirrors reality and is very in-keeping with the themes used in the storytelling here.

Overall the pacing was good, the plot was enjoyable and there’s a lot of complexity there that really makes you think and reflect on how the world can be. It can be emotionally heavy and deal with some very disturbing topics, such as rape, sexual abuse and gaslighting, but I found a certain sense of contentment with how it all came together in the end.

Thoroughly recommended and a must-read for any fans of murder mysteries and crime psychological thrillers.

If you've been enjoying the Kingdom of Runes series up to this point, book 4 in the series isn't going to disappoint. It gives us precisely what we've all been wanting and what has been building up over the course of the previous installments, and so much more!

Kingdom of Runes just keeps getting better with each book, taking us deeper and deeper into the characters' backstories, expanding the world and showing us the development of the relationships between characters along the way. Light Singer was easily yet another five star installment, with the delightful promise of an epic crescendo that should come with the fifth book: Dark Bringer.

Back to Light Singer though, and we finally get an installment that's almost entirely dedicated to exploring the relationship between Haven and Stolas, featuring all of the Stolas we've been craving for in the past books. You'll get plenty of pay-off from Light Singer if you've been rooting for the Goddess-Born and Shade Lord this whole time, and the romance doesn't disappoint.

That focus on their relationship is underpinned by the very solid main storyline, which is of course Archeron's betrayal and the ever-looming threat of the Shadeling. We get to see plenty of political jockeying, as Haven and the freshly re-established Shadoria seek to consolidate alliances for the battles they know are to come.

This book and series has all of the perfect components for an epic fantasy tale, and the exciting part is there's still the grand finale yet to come, which this book sets us up for nicely.

If there is one thing I would criticize about this book, though, it's probably the fact it is a tad lean on main story progression. A lot of the build up and set up certainly make things more intriguing, but in terms of how far we actually moved it wasn't all that much from where we left off in book three. Still, we got plenty of progression between Haven and Stolas and that certainly wasn't a bad thing and well worth dedicating a whole book to!

The book ends on a nasty little cliffhanger with some things left unresolved from within the book. Grey seems to like this style, but personally I feel we could have got a little ways further by the ending. We're all already well hooked on the series by now; I'm not sure cliffhangers are necessary at this point to get us to read the final installment!

It goes without saying that I am thoroughly looking forward to the conclusion of this series and cannot wait until it comes out! This series has solidified Audrey Grey as one of my favorite fantasy authors, and seeing her writing improve along with the series and her own style emerging from the shadows of the authors she personally has been inspired by has given me great pleasure as a reader too!

Audrey Grey does it once again with an epic third instalment to the Kingdom of Runes series, taking the reader on a spellbinding emotional rollercoaster full of twists, turns, betrayals and romance that culminate in a monumental crescendo of revelations, action and world-defining moments.

While the previous book took us on a world-spanning quest to end the Curse, events in King Maker are largely centered on Solissia where we learn more about the politics of the Sun Sovereign’s court and how her rule and familial relations play out.

One could be forgiven for thinking the fairly localized setting for the book was constricting, especially given the novel’s length. It turns out to be anything but, however, as Audrey Grey’s masterful world building and vivid descriptions take us deep into the journey of our main characters and their mental and emotional paths. We get to learn a lot about our, by now, established cast of characters and see even more character development, for better and for worse, in each of them; as well as getting some surprising revelations about some of their previously unexplored backstories that may be quite pivotal.

This story will have you guessing throughout as to the motives of our main characters, who can be trusted, and who some people are truly working for which leads to some satisfying and unpredictable twists and turns along the way.

The ending is incredible and every thread of story comes together to explain the events that end up transpiring, as well as setting the stage for the future of the world to be explored in future novels.

Since this is a long book, certainly the longest in the series so far, a lot more time was dedicated to the build-up to the main storyline and I found that to be awesome from someone already invested in the series. It may take a little time for some readers to get into it though, but the delivery is well, well worth it.

Overall this was an outstanding book that will take you on a journey, and you’ll almost be disappointed that it’s over. It’s emotionally charged at times, making you feel everything from sadness to joy and everything in between. The good news is, there’s two more books in the series: Light Singer and Dark Bringer, and I absolutely cannot wait to devour both!

Book two of the Kingdom of Runes series starts where we left off in the first installment, following Haven and her band of immortal misfits on their journey to save the prince and end the curse...

Having only rated the first book three stars of five, my main issues were some confusing or spotty backstories for certain characters, a complex and confusing magic system that seemed a little hard to fully grasp with the descriptions provided, and the way the book ended unresolved. I saw a lot of potential in the series, but book one fell a little short in these areas.

All I can say is that I am delighted that I trusted the author to build upon her intriguing foundations and stuck with the series! What a freakin' journey this book was!

Curse Breaker puts us into the meat of our heroes' epic quest right away, with plenty of action, twists and turns, and a couple of really emotional moments that profoundly reverberate in their impact. It's total non-stop action from the beginning, and it does not let up until the epic crescendo in the final scenes.

It felt as though Audrey Grey herself had become more comfortable in her own world that she created in this sequel, truly allowing her creativity to flow and cementing her characters' backstories, motivations and personalities a lot more sturdily than the opening book in the series. Her amazing world building also continued, which really enables you to see and feel the environments Haven and crew had to contend with on their quest.

I particularly liked how we actually saw a lot more character development and growth from some of our main characters in Curse Breaker, which was certainly lacking before. The pacing of that development I also found to be on point. The romance elements for several of the characters was also kicked up a notch, which certainly added to the gravity of some of the situations that played out. You will definitely feel things during this adventure!

My sole criticism is that book one and book two could probably have just been a single installment. Having said that, the slow burn was well worth it and the additional pages doing it that way allowed the author to do the story full justice without having to abbreviate, which would have detracted from how epic the world and expedition felt, in my opinion.

Overall this was an enthralling journey and I can now safely say I'm fully hooked on this series. A true gem from Audrey Grey. Hats off. I cannot wait to see where the series goes from here in book three: King Maker.

I am retroactively picking this series up having discovered Audrey Grey through her later series: Evermore Academy, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

In Oath Taker, we follow the journey of Haven, our female main character, and a band of immortal protagonists who are seeking to save Prince Bellamy, the Crown Prince of one of the last mortal kingdoms, who was taken by a very dark force...

My overarching feeling towards the book is one of intrigue and excitement for what comes next in the series. Oath Taker certainly gets the series off to a good start, and lays the foundation for what could be a very interesting series of twists and turns, with a tantalizing struggle between light and dark seemingly on the cards as well as the romance sub plots hinted at which are almost certainly likely to come to a head as the story progresses.

I personally felt the world building elements of this book were a stand-out strength, and one I've come to expect from Grey whose previous books I've enjoyed shared the same trait. The author does an excellent job of painting the picture of an immersive and complex world, full of danger, intrigue and plentiful mythological elements to draw and maintain your interest, which expands as you progress through the book.

While I see the complexity of the world as a strength broadly, I also felt a little overwhelmed at times as there's just SO much to learn, and not all of it is particularly well demonstrated and explained at points. I frequently found myself reaching for the world map and glossary sections to try and piece together elements of my understanding, as I felt like I was missing some understanding just by reading the prose. The magic system in particular, specifically how runes and rune stones were used, who could use them and how and why they were important all felt confusing for me at first, particularly when at the beginning it was made clear that mortals weren't able to use magic then suddenly magic was being invoked through the carving of runes by our MC, as apparently some runic engravings were possible to use, some were off limits and some were just intrinsic to certain races. It was hard to keep up with and it felt there was just so much to learn in relatively short periods of time as story progression was rather fast-paced.

I'm a fan overall of Grey's writing style where she has characters take common words from the universe she creates and has them mutter them as expletives during moments of frustration or exasperation. With that said, this added to my confusion on a couple of occasions at first when attempting to wrap my brain around the magical system of runes, particularly as "Runes!" was one such word that some characters seemed to yell out sometimes!

The characters' relationships to each other and how they all came into being in their current states was also a lot to understand and take on board at the pace it was being delivered; some characters' backstories weren't even fleshed out to the point where it all makes sense yet, and the first book definitely reads like the first book in a series where a lot of aspects will be revealed over time and make things retroactively make a little more sense, hopefully.

I was also a little disappointed by the ending, since nothing was actually resolved and it was clear this book was not designed to be a stand-alone story unto itself, but rather the first part of a story which will continue with the future books in the series. I am very much intending to continue this series to find out more, but still I am of the opinion that a book should be a complete story that is able to stand on its own merit, which isn't the case with Oath Taker because it's incomplete and the ending is just a lead-in to the next book.

Overall though, I found this to be a high fantasy story well worth investing in as the story and world are certainly interesting and intriguing enough. I am excited to continue on with book 2 of the series: Curse Breaker and the twists, turns and hopefully character progression that is to follow!

What an engrossing police procedural thriller/mystery which is well written and delightfully complex, both in plot and in the characters portrayed within. It's a little dark and morbid in parts, but that's unfortunately the reality for a homicide detective in the Windy City.

The character work really stands out in this novel. Just like the real world, if you've lived long enough, particularly in the type of job Foster, our main protagonist, is in you'll bring a significant amount of baggage wherever you go; which in turn makes you who you are today. The author does an excellent job of allowing you to see the different facets of both Foster and the other characters within, allowing you to really get a sense and understanding of what motivates them, for better or for worse. The quality of writing here is to be commended. It cannot be understated how impressed I was with how deep the author was able to convey many characters' motivations, backstories and personalities in a relatively short novel. There was very little wasted literary real estate here, and everyone has their issues to contend with.

With that said, I certainly feel there's room for a little more when it comes to certain characters which I will presume will continue to be a fixture in future books of this series. One character in particular came across as quite one dimensional and played into a certain stereotype, to the point of almost unbelievably in some scenarios. It was particularly stark given that most other characters were a lot more complex. I'm interested to see further character development maybe later in the series and to get more of an insight into their backgrounds, which I'm almost certain will come given the author's attention to detail when it comes to her characters.

The setting and how the author portrayed it is also a strength of this book. At the beginning I was feeling like things were a little sterile and folks a little apathetic, but then it hit me: that's the point. That's how it is in big cities like Chicago, and Clark does a really good job of imbuing that atmosphere into the proceedings and environment which I felt through her words.

The story contains some excellent twists and turns which will keep you guessing and attempting to piece together evidence or motivations in your head. Even if you're particularly sharp and can get an idea of who may be responsible early on, the satisfaction in seeing how the detectives work through the case and piece things together is the real meat of the story which I found to be thoroughly well written and enjoyable.

You certainly have to keep your wits sharp when reading Hide. This isn't a book you can casually skim read, given the number of characters you encounter and the different points of view you'll experience the story from. I definitely had to maintain a degree of focus when reading, which wasn't difficult given the captivating nature of the story.

I found the ending to be satisfying, although there were a few minor inconsistencies with how I may have expected some characters to act in order to set up the scene for the finale which I feel were a little out of character, perhaps.

I'm thoroughly excited for the next book in the series! I will certainly be continuing to keep up with the adventures of Detective Harrier Foster in the second book: Fall, when it is released.

If you're a fan of complex mysteries full of complicated characters whose motivations are often ambiguous, told from different points of view and whose reliability you cannot be fully certain of, this will be right up your street!

I found this book to be a captivating read that gripped my attention from the start. The author does an excellent job of drawing you into this small little UK town and its atmosphere which appears almost quaint at first, but quickly begins to feel sinister and oppressive when the town's dark secrets and seedy underbelly begin to unravel. The use of UK lingo, UK references and British manners of speech within the book are also delightful and would be relatable to anyone from the UK themselves, enhancing the atmosphere. This style may also perhaps appear quirky and unique to readers from other countries outside of the UK.

I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of hints of paranormal/supernatural elements, and the characters' reactions to that. As someone who enjoys supernatural thrillers and mysteries, the hints at these elements were initially what drew me to this book and their inclusion really helps build a more sinister feeling around the town, and adds to the mystery component of the story.

One element of the book that really stood out for me was the complexity of the characters, which made them very relatable. Many crime mysteries or thrillers I've experienced have suffered a little with characters who are a little easy to read or one dimensional, but this book does an excellent job of making the reader really begin to distrust everyone or question their motives, which I found to be a lot more realistic when it comes to real criminal cases of this complexity and magnitude. Almost every character unto themselves is an enigma and has something to hide here; be it minor and trivial which turns out to be for small personal reasons, or the seemingly minor that turns into something so much more.

I enjoyed receiving the backstory of the BBC reporter who came to the town to make a podcast about the disappearance, which was the premise for the story. It made her a real and relatable character and also played in to the minor romance elements included within the book, which I also enjoyed. Definitely had that "Will they? Won't they?" vibe going on, which kept me invested further.

The book touched upon several elements of problematic and abusive relationships, which are again unfortunately common and relatable. The book definitely made you feel for certain characters in some situations, particularly as gaslighting was used as an element within the story to keep certain characters vulnerable and dependent.

At the end, both the historical recounts within the book and the modern-day happenings came together to resolve the central mystery well. I found the end satisfying as a reader, particularly as I certainly didn't see some components coming.

I found the way the historical recounts were delivered in the book a little frustrating and confusing at first, as it took awhile before you began to see how they could relate to the main story. I also found a little suspension of disbelief was perhaps necessary, as there were a lot of people involved in how the plot all tied up and it was a little difficult to believe elements of it wouldn't have unraveled in a 20 year span of time passing since the disappearances, and initial police investigation of the incident. The police officer in the story was also very forthcoming with information, much more so than they likely would be in reality but I appreciate that was a necessary component to move things along.

All in all though, minor nitpicking aside, this was an excellent book and one I'd thoroughly recommend to anyone who enjoys complex crime thrillers/mysteries with complex characters each with their own story to tell.